Police nab 11 in Quezon City trader’s kidnapping

MANILA, Philippines — Police rescued a 78-year-old businesswoman and arrested 11 suspects, including three former soldiers, in what authorities described as a “bungled” kidnapping attempt that ended in a bank in Quezon City on Thursday.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the victim, a widow from a prominent family in the industrial sector, was abducted on Sept. 2 and held for nine days.

Her captors initially demanded P150 million in ransom. On Sept. 11, they brought her to a bank in Quezon City to withdraw P8.1 million from her account. 

The bank staff who had been alerted by the family immediately contacted police.

Members of the Police Anti-Kidnapping Group arrived within two minutes, arrested three suspects and rescued the victim unharmed.

Follow-up operations led to the arrest of eight more suspects – three women and five men – in Batangas and Cavite within 12 hours. 

In all, 11 suspects were apprehended, including three former military personnel – two that were honorably discharged from the Marines and one dishonorably discharged from the Army.

Remulla said the group appeared amateurish. 

“The mere fact that they brought the victim to the bank shows that their level of sophistication is very low,” he said during a press briefing at Camp Crame, describing the case as a “comedy of errors” and praising the swift police response.

Five firearms, including a rifle, four handguns, a replica gun and nearly P490,000 in cash were recovered from the suspects’ safehouse in Laurel, Batangas. Authorities believe a financier may have organized the operation.

7 MPD cops face kidnapping charge

Meanwhile, seven police officers assigned with the Manila Police District (MPD) Drug Enforcement Unit are in hot water after they allegedly kidnapped two men in the guise of an anti-narcotics operation.

The kidnapping was discovered after one of the victims escaped and reported his ordeal to the National Police Commission.

Napolcom vice chairman Rafael Vicente Calinisan declined to disclose the names of the police officers: a major, two master sergeants, two staff sergeants, a corporal and a patrolman.

“We will not immediately condemn them, but this is troubling,” Calinisan said in Filipino in a news briefing.

Mayor Isko Moreno ordered yesterday the immediate relief of the seven, the Manila Public Information Office said.

According to the victim identified only as Dwayne, he and his friend Owen were talking along Santisima Street in Sampaloc, Manila when police in plainclothes arrived in two cars, grabbed them and accused them of engaging in a drug deal at around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 9.

But instead of bringing them to the MPD headquarters for investigation, Dwayne said the police took them for a ride to different areas in Marikina and Rizal province.

Dwayne said the police suspects took his cell phone and ring as well as his friend’s mobile phone and motorcycle. He also accused them of stealing P9,000 from his GCash account, which he said he had saved for 10 months for his second child’s first birthday.

He alleged that during the “road trip,” the police officers threatened to kill them.

After several hours, the police officers returned to Sampaloc on Sept. 10 to eat at an eatery along Maceda Street, where Dwayne found the opportunity to escape.

A Napolcom initial investigation showed that the police officers had filed criminal complaints against Owen for possession of dangerous drugs before the Manila prosecutor’s office.

However, the Napolcom found inconsistencies after the police officers said they arrested Dwayne and Owen on Sept. 10 at around 12:55 a.m. along Maceda Street, when surveillance camera footage showed the two were taken the previous day.

Calinisan said Napolcom would ensure that Dwayne and his family are protected as he vowed an impartial investigation of the incident.

“We will never allow any abuses by our policemen against our fellowmen,” Calinisan added.

The seven are accused of grave misconduct, grave irregularity in the performance of duty and conduct unbecoming of a police officer. — Emmanuel Tupas, Ghio Ong